TWEETIN' ABOUT HARRY

So let’s see…We have Conservative Derek Black recently elected to the Palm Beach Republican Executive Committee, Conservative radio host Hal Turner calling for mass murder during Obamas inauguration, Conservative Representative Geoff Davis calling Obama “boy”, Conservative Representative Steve King calling the President a Muslim, Conservative Representative Lynn Westmoreland calling Obama “uppity”, Council of Conservative Citizens associate Haley Barbour diverting Hurricane Katrina funds from homeless black people to fix the port in Mississippi; something they were going to do anyway with state money. Conservative candidate for the Senate in Arkansas (State Sen. Kim Hendren) refers to Chuck Schumer as “that Jew”, Conservative sheriff Joe Arpaio allies himself with white supremacist groups in Arizona to fund his re-election campaign, Conservative candidate for President Tom Tancredo compares Latino advocacy groups to the KKK (because poor Mexican laborers, are the same as murderous white Jesus-freaks in sheets), Conservative movement leader Pat Buchanan, openly racist and questions the Holocaust, was still a credible Republican nominee for President. Conservative up and comer Marcus Epstein (the executive director of Tom Tancredo’s and Pat Buchanan’s political organizations – Team America PAC and The American Cause) convicted in 2009 for striking an African-American female and calling her the N-Word on a street in Washington, D.C., and none of this gets a rise out of conservatives. But apparently Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said something about a year ago that’s talks of how the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate like Obama, a “light-skinned” African American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one”, and all of a sudden these idiots find their voice. Now Reid’s comment is a little bit of an eyebrow raiser yes, but nothing to complain too much about, especially with black people pretty much saying the same thing. President Obama is cool with this, and everyone is moving on, except guess who But this isn’t enough for white conservatives! Oh, and Republican Chairman Michael Steele, who is demanding Reid be held up to the same standard as Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott was, when he had to resign over his racist remarks – and associations with groups like the Council of Conservative Citizens, something Reid does not have and something that made all the difference in the world. Now we will be here forever with the obvious hypocrisy coming from this crowd, but we decided that it would be a good idea to let others speak on this one – and they come courtesy of Twitter. The following is a sample of what some folks are saying about Harry Reid’s remarks over on the popular social networking site that hardly anyone heard of a year ago today. It will help conservatives understand – if they don’t already – why Harry Reid will not resign. But hey, if they are now concerned about white racism directed at blacks, we will be more than happy to point them in the right direction! Somehow however, we don’t think they are all that sincere though.

Twitter

elonjames (Comedian)

Maybe Im out of it, because Im not horrified by #HarryReids Comments, I know BLACK people who said the same thing… #RealTalk

If #HarryReid has to step down then I think #MichaelSteele should step down. I’m WAY more offended by his choices in words…

(Both these tweets were forwarded several times)

harrislacewell (Princeton professor)

There are just so many great legislative reasons to disdain Reid. I find this angst over year old comment odd. @buythebookcvcom

I’ve always thought Obama’s fluid capacity to speak in many voices to many publics is one of his great strengths.

And while his lightskinnedness *may* have helped w/ white voters, Michelle’s brownness helped with black folks.

So what are we mad about: that Reid thought it, that he said it, or that he used those words? Just think we should be clear.

Well gotta go, but looks like I have possible topic for next Nation piece.

mattyglesias

Has been amusing to watch conservatives’ bout of fake-consideration for black peoples’ feelings

marclamonthill (Professor, television pundit with a cool middle name. Recently fired as a correspondent for Fox News for being too left wing)

To compare Harry Reid’s comment to Trent Lott’s is ridiculous. I’m not defending Reid, but come on…

Trent Lott implicitly supported segregation. Reid expressed a sentiment not that different than Joe Biden.

Is it true that Obama wouldn’t have been elected if he looked like Alan Keyes and spoke like Al Sharpton? Perhaps, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a racist undertone to it.

bluedevildavey (Conservative tweeter who is subscribed to marclamonthill – who apparently doesn’t have a picture for a reason)

@marclamonthill You are excusing Reid as a racist representative of “The Peculiar Institution.”

@marclamonthill You are excusing it.

@marclamonthill OnTheContrary: Excusing racist behavior is defending racist behavior.

@marclamonthill The Democrat Response: Excuses and Evasion

@marclamonthill What excuse have you promulgated for Democrat Senator KKK Byrd? “It depends on what is is a Grand Wizard”

@marclamonthill “It depends on what is is” Good Sir, you are parsing for Democrats.

marclamonthill @bluedevildavey no parsing. it’s racist. but saying “negro dialect” is nowhere near supporting a segregationist agenda.

Why is it that whenever we try to use nuance, the Right accuses us of “parsing” or “wordsmithing.” Nuance matters!

@bluedevildavey but you’re manufacturing evidence. no one has defended Byrd, or Reid for that matter.

To act like some comments aren’t more offensive than others is ridiculous.

There’s a difference between saying “Obama can win bc he doesn’t talk like a Negro”, which is racially offensive, and saying that the US would be better if we never let Black people get the right to vote, go to school, etc.

It’s not an issue of saying one person is more or less racist than the other,it
‘s about saying that one comment is more serious & actionable

The reality is that a LOT of politicians are racist on both sides of the aisle. But certain comments are unacceptable for the leadership of the party. I’m not saying that Reid shouldn’t step down. I’m only saying that the Tren Lott case isn’t a compelling reason to me.

StarJonesEsq (lawyer, television personality)

@marclamonthill Teach Professor. As I always say. Prejudice is how you FEEL…Discrimination is how you ACT. I care how you ACT!

The RevAl (a/k/a Al Sharpton)

Sen. Harry Reid called me about some racial comments attributed to him about why some Americans could be ok voting for Pres. Obama. I told Sen. Reid that there was some uncomfortable truths about how some Americans see some Blacks different than others, the words he used Bad and certainly offensive. There was a lot of very offensive statements made in 08 by Pres. Clinton, then Sen. Biden and even some blacks About then Sen. Obama. Some of their statements far more offensive than Reid. In fact Reid was supporting Obama and explaining why he could

Reid should be held to the same standard we held the other offenders of 08. No more, No less. We must be consistent.

E2Tha

#HarryReid should step down for his “negro dialect” comments only if every conservative that has made racist statements does the same..